14 Tuesday Mar 2017
Posted in days out, my place, remembering / musing
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As I was awake at 5am I joined the Monday morning commuters and got the train into London. As expected the train was standing room only, but rather than going to work, I went for a photo walk, London Bridge, Tower Bridge, Tower of London, Hayes Galleria and The Monument, all before 9am.
I then headed out of town for a five hour lunch with a girlfriend who has known me since the 1980’s. Great to catch up and reminisce.
31 Saturday Dec 2016
Posted in my place, photography
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Salamanca Market, S2H yachts, The Taste, blue sky, crowds out enjoying themselves. Fireworks later. Gotta love this city!!
22 Saturday Oct 2016
Posted in my place, photography
Today, Hobart welcomed the first cruise ship of the season. A sign that summer is not far away.
But the weather had its own ideas, as we woke to another covering of snow on Mount Wellington.
The city is also host to a royal navy submarine at the moment.
It was exciting to see the city, waterfront and Salamanca Market so busy with tourist and naval uniforms.
20 Thursday Oct 2016
Posted in my place
Today is a public holiday in Tasmania.
Well, in part of Tasmania.
On a Thursday.
Tasmania is just one of 8 states and territories of Australia.
There are national holidays.
There are state / territory holidays.
Then there are regional holidays.
The organisation I work for, has 11 offices dotted around the regions of this little island state.
Today’s holiday in the south is for the Royal Hobart Show. So five offices were closed.
Two offices closed for the Burnie Show in September.
Two offices closed for the Royal Launceston Show earlier this month.
One office will close for the Devonport Show in November.
And one office closed back in May for Agfest Show.
Confused?
18 Monday Apr 2016
Posted in 52 challenge, my place
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O is for … Outside and Outlook
Outside my window. Outlook from my balcony.
For the first time in my life I have a balcony and I love it. We are renting a waterfront apartment here in Hobart and this is our view. One hundred and eighty degrees of view. I have spent so so many hours enjoying the balcony and the outlook, the fresh air and sunshine. It is my favourite place to drink my morning tea, to read a book, to watch the weather and the tides, to enjoy an evening glass of wine.
This is such a change from an enclosed space behind our home, with gardening responsibilities. Or overlooking shared communal gardens and a car park.
There is a whole new world outside my balcony. A small beach where people bring their dogs for swim exercise. Kids play on the sand and clamber on the rocks behind. Birds practice their skills in the air currents around our building.
I am constantly entertained by water sport activities. Swimmers, paddleboards, kayaks, rowers, pleasure boats, fishermen, water skiers, towed inflatables, kite surfers, wind surfers, jet skiers. Here are a few photos.
Cruise ships pass by. Also tourist boats including a replica pirate ship. Yachting will be a whole subject in itself.
I have seen dolphins and seals on several occasions. The world outside my balcony is an endless delight.
14 Thursday Apr 2016
Posted in 52 challenge, my place, photography
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L had to be for London.
It’s a year since I’ve been there so I enjoyed looking through archives to choose a few photos to share.
I commuted to work in this wonderful city for more decades than I want to admit. Initially working in Knightsbridge, wandering in Hyde Park or Harrods during lunch breaks. Later, working on the South Bank, walking passed the Globe Theatre each day, enjoying views across the river to St Paul’s Cathedral. I spent many years in the actual City of London, passing Tower Bridge, the Tower of London, the Monument, and more recently, the Shard. So many favourite places in the centre of the city and further afield in Greenwich.
As it’s is Thursday, I’ve included a few doors and gates for Norm’s Thursday Doors challenge.
Horseguards Parade
Big Ben
Big Ben
Whitehall
Palace Gate
Nelson’s Column at Trafalgar Square
Women of World War 2 Memorial
Old Bailey
London Eye
London Eye
Globe Theatre
The Shard
St Paul’s Cathedral
St Paul’s Cathedral
Poppies at the Tower of London
Tower Bridge
Greenwich Park
Greenwich Naval College
09 Saturday Apr 2016
Posted in 52 challenge, my place
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H is for … Hobart
Hobart is a small city nestled in the foothills of Mount Wellington, along the banks of the River Derwent estuary. It’s the second oldest settlement in Australia, after Sydney.
On Monday, Hobart will have been our home for one year.
My Hobart is … waterfront … fishing boats … yachts … Tasman Bridge … river … mountain … Salamanca Market … sandstone buildings … picturesque houses … wide streets … steep streets … old and new … mountain … river … beaches … coastal paths … city squares and parks … botanical gardens … museums and galleries … café and restaurants … theatre and cinema … history and innovation … the river and the mountain.
10 Thursday Dec 2015
Posted in all about me, creativity, my place
Christmas will be different for us this year.
Aussie Mate hasn’t had a summer Christmas for thirty years and it is my first one ever.
The difference has started with our decorations. This time last year, I saw some creative driftwood Christmas trees on my “photo a day” group. The idea became one of my 52 challenges for 2015.
So we collected driftwood, bought a ball of red twine, a string of fairy lights with a battery pack and chose a few new decorations.
This is the result.
We probably went a bit overboard collecting the wood. So I’ve put some branches in a vase.
Christmas trees in our past have been real trees. We have happy memories of a family outing each year, standing in a muddy field, our daughters trying to chose a Christmas tree from the dozens just chopped. Too short, too tall, too twirly, too straight, too spindly, too bushy. Then driving home with the chosen tree sticking out of the sun roof, in winter!
So this is definitely different.
09 Friday Oct 2015
Posted in making changes, my place
Six months ago today, we left London to begin a new life phase in Tasmania.
Here are a few random facts that I have learned about our new home.
Hobart’s place in the world, latitude and longitude is …..
….. 42.88 degrees South and 147.33 degrees East.
I soon learned about the attitude. 42° south is a local winery.
The motel that we stayed in when we arrived in Hobart is 429 Sandy Bay Road but with an interesting sign that signifies the latitude.
I know that Greenwich, London latitude is 51.48 degrees North and 0.00 degrees, neither east or west, the home of the Greenwich Meridian.
I wondered what other countries had latitude of 42°.
In the northern hemisphere, the 42nd parallel passes through 23 countries :
Portugal, Spain, Italy (to the north of Rome), France (on the island of Corsica), Montenegro, Albania, Kosovo, Serbia, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Turkey, Georgia, Russia, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyztan, China, Mongolia, North Korea, Japan, USA and Canada.
Only four places are crossed by 42nd parallel in the southern hemisphere :
~ Tasmania, Australia
~ South Island, New Zealand
~ Argentina
~ Chile
Here in the south there is so much ocean, so little land, which influences the weather and climate.
Tasmania has the cleanest air record in any populated place according to WHO monitors.
Hobart is the second driest capital city in Australia with annual average of 626 mm of rainfall whilst on Tasmania’s west coast, the rainforests have average of 2,500 mm.
28 Monday Sep 2015
Posted in my place, photography
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Ok, it’s just more benches for Jude’s challenge.
But Hobart’s metal street furniture is quite comfortable and is coordinated around the city.
